Drivers are only just discovering the letters on car number plates aren't random

10 August 2023 , 15:48

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Every vehicle has a unique number plate (stock image) (Image: Tim Graham/Getty Images)

As a proud car owner, you've no doubt tried to memorise your number plate, so that if anyone asks you, you can tell them without having to run out to wherever you have parked to check the back. However, even though you know it off by heart, you might not know that the numbers aren't actually randomly selected.

Every car has a number plate at the front and back, giving each vehicle its own identity, and allows information to be stored. Most number plates on UK roads are currently using a format which was first introduced in 2001 - using seven characters split into two sections - except for in Northern Ireland. They might seem like the most random collection of letters and numbers to you, but the digits at the back and front of a vehicle actually have a very specific meaning - it signals the year it was first put on sale and where it was registered.

In addition, there will be two letters at the front of the number plate, which represent where in the UK the car was first registered. For example, if if the first letter is L, it was first registered in London, while Y stands for Yorkshire, and B is Birmingham. The second letter is based on the postal area where it was registered.

When it comes to the numbers, the first two digits show when the car was first registered, but it covers a six month period. For cars that are registered between March and August, the last two digits of the year will be added, so for example 23. However, if they were registered from September to February, another 50 is added to that number. This means 73 will be on the number plate for cars registered from September 2023 to February 2024.

The last three letters don't mean anything - but are just a random collection of numbers to keep each number plate unique. The only letters not used are I and Q - so they will be a combination of the remaining 24 letters.

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Jon Kirkbright, sales director at Private Number Plates, said: "To the untrained eye, number plates may look like a random combination of letters and numbers. While many people will be aware that the numbers refer to the year the car was made and registered, they may not know that the letters before them also have a hidden meaning.

"They are known as 'regional identifiers' and refer to the DVLA office where the car was registered. This may be why your number plates start with the same letters if you buy more than one car from the same dealership, for example - it is not just a coincidence."

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz